This diagram shows the rings of Jupiter and Jupiter's innermost moons.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of NASA/JPL.

The Rings of Jupiter

You may think Saturn is the only planet with rings. It is not! Jupiter has rings, too. They aren't as easy to see as Saturn's, but they are there!

Saturns rings are made of ice and are very bright. Jupiter's rings are dark. They are made of tiny pieces of dust.

Jupiter's rings were discoverd by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979. The Galileo spacecraft helped us figure out how Jupiter's rings are made. Meteors that hit some of Jupiter's moons knock dust into orbit around Jupiter. That dust forms the rings.

Jupiter has three rings. They are called the Halo Ring, the Main Ring, and the Gossamer Ring.

Last modified September 20, 2003 by Randy Russell.

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